The Kindle Experience

Reads Like Real Paper, No Glare
Even in Bright Sunlight

Kindle uses an electronic ink screen that looks and reads like real paper. The matte screen reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, so you can read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. Unlike tablet screens, Kindle has no glare.

Lighter Than a Paperback

Less than 6 ounces, Kindle is lighter than most paperback books, and weighs half as much as many tablets, making it easy and comfortable to hold in one hand for extended periods of time.

One-Month Battery Life

Kindle also has the advantage of significantly lower power consumption than tablets. Kindle does not require power to maintain a page of text, allowing you to read for up to a month on a single charge, with wireless off and a half hour of reading per day, versus hours on a tablet or smart phone.

Sharp, Clear Text

Kindle uses actual ink particles and proprietary, hand-built fonts to create crisp, print-like text similar to what you see in a physical book. The screen's 100% aperture ratio means no gaps between pixels. The blacks and whites on the screen are uniform, improving image quality.

Easy on the Eyes

Every time your eyes switch from a bright screen to a dimmer, ambient room, your eyes have to adjust, which may result in fatigue. With Kindle the page is the same brightness as everything else in the room so there's no adjustment needed.

Read in Any Position

When you read for long periods of time, you often switch positions to get more comfortable. Kindle has a uniform contrast ratio that does not change with your viewing angle, so you can read in any position.

All the Books You Love

Lowest Book Prices

Over a million titles are priced at $4.99 or less. Over 1,700,000 titles are $9.99 or less.

Kindle Unlimited

NEW—With Kindle Unlimited, you can read as much as you want, choosing from over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks. From mysteries and romance to sci-fi and more, freely explore new authors, books, and genres on any device for just $9.99 a month. Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days. Learn more

Kindle Matchbook

For thousands of qualifying books, your past, present, and future print-edition purchases will soon allow you to buy the Kindle edition for $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or free.

Free Books in the Public Domain

Millions of titles in the public domain, such as Pride and Prejudice, are available for free.

Free Book Samples

Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

Massive Selection

Millions of books, newspapers, and magazines, including the latest best sellers, Kindle Singles, and more.

Kindle Owners' Lending Library

With Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from over hundreds of thousands of books, including over 100 current and former New York Times best sellers, to read for free - as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates. Read all 7 Harry Potter books in 5 languages

Borrow From Your Public Library

Borrow Kindle books from your public library and start reading on your Kindle. Learn more

Lend Your Books

Lend eligible Kindle books to other Kindle or Kindle app users for up to 14 days. Learn more

Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Get More from Your Membership

In addition to Free Two-Day Shipping, Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited instant streaming of hit movies and TV episodes and can borrow popular Kindle books at no extra cost.

Kindle Owners' Lending Library - Read for Free

With Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from hundreds of thousands of books to borrow for free with no due dates, including over 100 current and former New York Times best sellers and all 7 Harry Potter books.

Features

Holds Over 1,000 Books

Carry more than 1,000 books - keep your library with you wherever you go.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Kindle connects easily to your home Wi-Fi network or Wi-Fi hotspots on the road for quick, convenient access to books and content anywhere you can access Wi-Fi.

Free Wi-Fi at AT&T Hotspots

Enjoy free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hotspots across the U.S.

Lighter Than a Paperback

Weighs less than 6 ounces and fits in your pocket.

Thinner Than a Pencil

At just over a third of an inch, Kindle is thinner than a pencil.

Books in Under 60 Seconds

Find a book and start reading in seconds with our fast, free wireless delivery.

Adjustable Text Sizes, Font Choices

Kindle has eight adjustable text sizes to suit your reading preference. You can increase the text size of your favorite book or periodical with the push of a button. If your eyes tire, simply increase the font size and continue reading comfortably. Kindle also has three font styles to choose from - all optimized and hand-tuned to provide the best reading experience.

Custom Fonts

Kindle uses hand-built, custom fonts and font-hinting to make words and letters more crisp, clear, and natural-looking. Font hints are instructions, written as code, that control points on a font character's line, improving legibility at small font sizes where few pixels are available. Hinting is a mix of aesthetic judgments and complicated technical strategies. We've designed our proprietary font-hinting to optimize specifically for the special characteristics of electronic ink.

Global Language Support

Kindle supports the display of non-Latin characters, so you can read books and documents in your favorite language. Kindle displays Cyrillic (such as Russian), Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Korean characters, in addition to Latin and Greek scripts. Kindle also provides access to several international dictionaries.

Real Page Numbers

We match the pages of a Kindle book to the text in a print book to identify the corresponding "real" page number. Easily reference and cite passages or read alongside others in a book club or class.

Precise 5-Way Controller

Kindle has an easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. No on-screen fingerprints.

Supports Children's Books and Comics

Kindle supports children's books with Kindle Text Pop-Up, and comic books with Kindle Panel View which allows you to read a comic book panel by panel.

Whispersync

Our Whispersync technology synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks and annotations across your devices so you can always pick up where you left off.

Free Library Backup

We automatically back up your library in the cloud, so you never need to worry about losing your books. Re-download wirelessly anytime for free.

Organize Your Library

Organize your Kindle library into customized collections, or categories, to easily access any book you are looking for. You can add an item to multiple collections to make organizing and finding titles even easier.

Search Wikipedia and the Web

Kindle makes it easy for you to search. Enter a word or phrase and Kindle will search every instance across your Kindle library, in the Kindle Store, on Wikipedia, or the Web using Google search. Kindle features an experimental WebKit-based browser to provide a better experience.

Built-in Dictionary with Instant Lookup

Come across a word you don't know? Kindle includes The New Oxford American Dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions for free. Kindle lets you instantly lookup the definition without ever leaving the book - simply select the word with the cursor and the definition will automatically display at the bottom of the screen.

Fast Page Turns

Kindle's powerful processor is tuned for fast, seamless page turns.

Carry and Read Your Personal Documents

Kindle makes it easy to take your personal documents with you, eliminating the need to print. You and your approved contacts can e-mail documents - including Word, PDF and more - directly to your Kindle and read them in Kindle format. You can also send documents to your Kindle using Send to Kindle.

Bookmarks and Annotations

Add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book, with a virtual keyboard that appears just when you need it. And because Kindle books are digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes. You can highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use. You'll never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read.

Share Meaningful Passages

Share your passion for books and reading with friends, family, and other readers around the world by posting meaningful passages to social networks like Facebook and Twitter directly from Kindle, without leaving the page. Want to post or tweet about a great new novel or newspaper article? When you highlight or create a note in your book or periodical, you can easily share it with your social network. Help your network of family and friends discover new authors and books.

Public Notes

Share your notes and see what others are saying about Kindle books. Any Kindle user - including authors, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere - can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community.

Popular Highlights

See what millions of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books. If several other readers have highlighted a particular passage, then that passage will be highlighted in your book along with the total number of people who have highlighted it.

Lend Your Books

Lend eligible Kindle books to other Kindle or Kindle app users. Each eligible book can be lent once for up to 14 days. Not all books are lendable - the publisher or rights holder determines which titles are enabled for lending.

Shop Wirelessly

Access the Kindle Store wirelessly from Kindle. Search and shop the world's largest selection of books that people want to read, plus magazines, newspapers, blogs, and games. Amazon auto-delivers all your purchases in seconds.

Personalized Recommendations

Kindle makes it easy to discover new titles with recommendations personalized just for you. The Kindle Store uses the same personalized customer experience you're used to across Amazon.com, matching our best recommendations to your personal reading habits.

Games and Applications

Take a break from reading to enjoy a selection of great games and applications specially designed for Kindle, like Every Word, Grid Detective, and My Checklist.

Newsstand

Shop and subscribe to your favorite magazines and newspapers, such as Vogue, Newsweek, and The New Yorker, from Newsstand. New editions are auto-delivered wirelessly direct to your device the second they go on sale.

Millions of Books

The Kindle Store contains the largest selection of books people want to read, including over a million titles less than $9.99. We work directly with publishers to get the latest best sellers, biggest new releases and titles most popular with tens of millions of Amazon's book customers.

Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers

Love deals? You'll receive special offers and sponsored screensavers directly on your Kindle. Offers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen while not in use - they don't interrupt reading.

Parental Controls

Parental Controls allow you to restrict access to the Kindle Store, Archived Items, and Experimental Web Browser so you can give Kindle to a child worry-free.

Featured Accessories

Light Up Your Kindle

The lighted leather cover has an embedded LED light designed specifically for Kindle's paper-like display, adding brightness without adding glare. Simply open the cover to turn on the light or close to turn off.

Protect Your Kindle

The cover's form-fitted leather exterior and soft microfiber interior protect and secure your device without any hinges or straps. Designed to fold back, so you can read comfortably with just one hand.

Whispercast for Kindle

Whispercast is Amazon's free online tool that helps your school or business manage a deployment of Kindle devices and wirelessly distribute content. Centrally manage your Kindle devices and send eBooks and documents to your students, employees, or customers with ease.

Kindle at School

Kindle excites students about reading. The same great features that help you lose yourself in a book on Kindle translate seamlessly to the classroom, helping students learn to read or study more effectively. Learn more about Kindle at school

A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage

Charge Time

Fully charges in approximately 3 hours from a computer via USB cable

Wi-Fi Connectivity

Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication or Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

I got my first Kindle. This is a nice ebook reader. I'm going to jump right in and tell you what I found to be its Pros and Cons. Then I'm going to tell how it compares to its biggest competitor, the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch.

Kindle's Pros:

Great Screen: Many people do not find LCDs hard to read on (e.g. smartphones, tablets, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, etc.), but virtually everyone will find E-Ink easier to read, any time of day. Especially the newest E-Ink Pearl displays. They simply look like paper and ink. I have never experienced any eye strain reading E-Ink book readers, but I have with LCD based phone/tablet screens.

Thin and Lightweight: This Kindle is thinner than any paperback and lighter too. This makes it very easy to hold in a sitting position, and for long periods too. It also makes it easy to transport in a purse, backpack, or messenger bag (or in luggage for traveling). Many people like to take a few books when travelling, and this Kindle lets you take as many as you want and adds virtually nothing to your travel burden.

Good Value: Even without a touchscreen, the Kindle is a good value. It is a well-made product, it offers cloud storage of your books (and well it should, since it offers no ability to expand storage capacity with an add-in microSD card), the screen is excellent, Amazon is a dogged competitor in book pricing. The Kindle 4 is the best value of Amazon's E-Ink readers. Some may be tempted to get the version with the built-in light. If you can afford it, sure, go ahead. But let me point out you don't have to spend $20 for a fancy-schmancy book light. Your local dollar store has them for ... wait for it ... a buck. They work perfectly well to light the screen, don't suck down your Kindle's battery, and best of all, don't add $50 to the price of the Kindle.

Amazon Customer Support: I've dealt with Amazon for years, and they have always done the right thing in terms of customer service when I have had issues with products or deliveries.

Kindle Lending Library for Prime Members: Prime members get their own library. That's a great benefit to them. I'm an "adjunct" Prime member, though, so I don't get to benefit from it, but it's great for primary Prime members.

Library Support: I was happy to see Amazon join the program for Overdrive and public library ebook lending. This is such a huge benefit to everyone who has ebook readers. Especially people on fixed incomes, who like ebook readers for the ability to change font sizes, and love them for the ability to borrow library books.

MicroUSB Port for USB Charging: Good call for Amazon to support the universal USB standard for charging. You can charge from a computer USB port, an AC adapter, car charger, etc. Don't worry about buying one: if you have a smartphone (other than apple) or Bluetooth device that came with a microUSB cable charger, it will do the job.

Parental Controls: Another good choice for Amazon to implement parental controls, where they can restrict access to the Kindle's web browser, store, and archived items.

Long Battery Life: I couldn't even put a dent in the battery gauge using the Kindle for several days, for several hours a day.

Excellent Highlighting and Notes Features: I really liked the highlighting and notation capabilities, and that I can access the highlights both in book and from the home screen. You can also choose to show highlights and notes by other users (general population), or by a selection of Amazon users you follow.

Cons:

No Touchscreen: Yes, I know they offer a touchscreen model. But they charge a bunch more for it. Their main competitor offers touchscreen in their most basic model, for only a few dollars more (don't let the $99 list price fool you ... the Simple Touch is usually available for 10 bux more than the Kindle).

No Expandable Storage: Personally, I like to add free books from Project Gutenberg to my ebook reader. I can add thousands, with graphics, if I can add a microSD card for storage. However, Amazon chooses not to include that feature.

Not Easy to Hold Laying Down: For those of you who like to read in bed (that's where I do all my book reading), the Kindle 4 is not very easy to hold and be able to turn pages. The front bezel is slippery plastic and thin, so it's hard to grip one-handed. But if you manage to, it's nigh impossible to hit the page turn buttons. Most of the time, I found I had to let the bottom edge rest on my belly, hold it upright with one hand, and reach down with the other hand to turn pages. Sometimes I think products are designed and tested by people who just sit in their cubicles and never try the products in real-life situations. The ads show people sitting on the beach reading. Sure, pretty easy to hold the thing in that position. But try laying down! That's how real people read!

Button Design: Have they always been like this? I found the buttons prone to inadvertent presses whenever I held the Kindle. I prefer to hold it one-handed, and it seems that the button size and location makes it hard to grip the thing without accidentally hitting a page forward or back button.

Proprietary Format: Amazon's use of its proprietary format for ebooks means you have only one source of contemporary books: Amazon. Now, Amazon is a fine company, but personally, I find choice - being able to shop for the best deal - to be a benefit.

Kindle vs. Nook:

I have used Nook ebook readers for a couple of years, so I am very experienced with B&N's products and services.

Here are the winners and losers in various areas:

Ties:

* E-Ink screens are equal quality* Battery Life: really long for both* Page Turns: both used to be pretty slow, both are now acceptably fast* Book Prices: whenever I've checked, Amazon has better prices sometimes, Barnes & Noble has better prices other times, and they're very close a lot of times

Nook Wins:

* Touchscreen* Use your own screensaver and wallpaper* In store reading for free* Expandable Storage* Comes with charger (EDIT: 1/14/13: some commenters report that B&N now charges for the charger; be sure to check before you buy!)* More universal book file format (epub) vs. proprietary Kindle format* Fonts: more fonts, more sizes, more margin selections, more leading (line spacing) selections* Easier to navigate: the user interface is just more logical and it's easier to find what you're looking for* Better ergonomics: Nook is easier to hold, sitting OR laying down. The buttons don't get in the way of fingers. The touchscreen give alternative options to page turning (touch edge or swipe). The Nook Simple Touch and the Glowlight version have a large dimpled back that make it easier to hold.

Kindle Wins:

* Highlighting and Notes: much easier to use and access with Kindle* Kindle Lending Library: this may be Amazon's answer to B&N's in store free reading* Device is Lighter and Smaller: easier to transport, though the smaller size and lighter weight do not make it easier to handle* Support: Amazon's product support is legend, in my book. B&N released a software update for Nook Simple Touch once that broke Wi-Fi, they refused to acknowledge the problem for many weeks, and took over 2 months to fix it. Inexcusable.

Bottom Line:

For me, Nook Simple Touch is the superior ebook reader. Comparatively, Amazon has few advantages in design or use. Nook is easier to hold and has better ergonomics and navigation, has expandable memory, has more display adjustments, uses a more universal ebook format, lets you read books for free in their store, and has a touchscreen. Kindle has the Lending Library for Prime Members as an advantage, it's a little lighter and smaller, has better product support, and a better highlighting/notation function. Now, with that said ... the Kindle is an excellent ebook reader too. When I choose Nook as superior, it does not negate that Kindle is a great product. And if you have a compelling reason to go with Amazon's product, then by all means do so. You will love it and enjoy it, almost surely.Read more ›

I have owned a Kindle for several years now. I have had the 2nd generation Kindle and I have had the Kindle Keyboard. When my mom expressed interest in getting a Kindle I decided to give her my Kindle Keyboard because she doesnt have Wifi in her house and my older Kindle Keyboard had 3G, which is what she needed. And I decided to buy the Basic Kindle for myself because (1) I didnt want to wait for the Paperwhite to come out and (2) I just needed Wifi and (3)and most importantly I JUST WANT TO READ A BOOK, not listen to text-to-speach, or go shopping on Amazon, or listen to music, etc. All I want to do is read a book...thats it! This Kindle is perfect for that. Its smaller and lighter, the pages turn faster than the Keyboard version, it basically has everything I need to download a book and read a book with a much better price than the Paperwhite or Keyboard. Yes, you have to navigate through the keyboard on this kindle with a 5-way controller, but I rarely use the keyboard anyway. To download a book, I just search and buy books on my computer and send them to my Kindle...which is much quicker no matter what version of Kindle you have. So if you dont need, want, or use all the extras then I would definitely recommend the Basic Kindle for $69 with special offers, because who really pays attention to the screen savers anyway.

I travel for work. More and more, I find myself leaving the Kindle Fire at home and traveling with just an e-ink Kindle. So when I broke my Kindle 3, I decided to replace it with this entry level Kindle (without special offers).

What's good:* Smallest, lightest e-ink Kindle available.* Still has the page turn buttons!* Like all the e-ink Kindles, this thing has amazing battery life.

What's just OK:* Only 2GB memory. More is better. Then again, after two years of buying books I'm nowhere near filling this thing up.* Text entry using the 5-way switch works, but that's about all. I'm surprised it works well enough that I can't consider it a negative.

What's not so good:* The lighted cover costs nearly as much as the Kindle! Anyone thinking of picking up this Kindle and the lighted cover should look at the new paper white models with integrated frontlight.

The new Kindles look awesome. But they don't take anything away from this Kindle. It may not have some of the bells and whistles of the other models but it also costs quite a bit less. The Kindle is exactly what I need for traveling. It works wonderfully as a basic, no-frills e-reader. Reviewing it as such, I have to give it five stars.

I bought the first Kindle when it came out and, while I liked it, I didn't use it that much because the page turn buttons could be too easily triggered, and the cover was somewhat clumsy to use. The second generation Kindle was a lot better, but I still preferred to read physical books with the Kindle being a solution for being able to have books available without taking up any more space (I still buy physical books, but most are donated to the local library, Salvation Army, etc. after I've read them).

Next, about a year after it came out, I bought what Amazon called the "Kindle Keyboard" and was hooked! I began using the Kindle as a preferred reading medium over physical books and thought that the Kindle Keyboard couldn't be improved upon (I've since given a couple as gifts). I liked the storage capacity, the 3G capability and thought I wouldn't want to be without the keyboard. After reading more than seventy books on it I couldn't imagine trying a Kindle with less memory and only Wi-fi.

I was wrong.

I ordered this "4th Generation" Kindle earlier this year, thinking I'd have it for a backup to my Kindle Keyboard. Instead, it has become my much-preferred device. Storage room? With the cloud, it's really not an issue. I keep a few reference books on both of my current Kindles (the Keyboard and this one) as well as what I'm currently reading. I haven't had any problem with coming close to exceeding the storage capacity. While it would be nice to have 3G, it's not a deal-killer at all. I've already read close to 50 books on this Kindle and I've only found myself without easy access to Wi-fi once. When I'm close to finishing a book, I plan ahead and download a new one (or two) so that I'm ready wherever I happen to be.

I also thought the cover for the Kindle Keyboard was better, but have found that I like the (Amazon official) cover for this one every bit as much or better. I don't need an elastic band to hold it closed (thought I wanted this, but it is really a non-issue). I flip it open, flip it closed, leave it folded back and just generally don't worry about it. That's what a cover should be - unobtrusive.

The thing that makes this Kindle a real winner is its size and simplicity. It's easy to read one handed in any of the chairs in our house, at the island in the kitchen, at a restaurant at lunch or while lying in bed. It fits easily in my pants pocket, in a briefcase, laptop case, accordion file, sportcoat pocket, etc.

The battery life (with "airplane mode" on - meaning Wi-fi off) is fantastic. I read anywhere from a couple of hours to as many as seven or eight hours per day and I generally can go three weeks (never less than two) between charges. I turn on Wi-fi (or turn off "Airplane Mode") to download new books or to allow sync'ing with other devices (I'll still use the Kindle app on the iPad when reading in the dark), and unless I forget and leave it on, the battery life is just fantastic. I also like the fact that charging just involves hooking it to a USB port on my laptop or desktop. I wouldn't mind having a way to know the percentage of battery life left, but estimating from the icon I'd say that I have at least 20% battery life and I've read several books since the last recharge going on three weeks ago now. Oh, and the time to re-charge from a depleted battery is only a couple of hours at most.

Will I try the new "Paperwhite" with 3G? Probably. Will I miss the page turn buttons? Maybe. Maybe not. I thought the 2nd gen Kindle was where I'd stop (I even thought about buying a second one because I "liked it best"). The same was true with the Kindle Keyboard. Again, I thought it was the best version and wouldn't be improved upon (and once again considered buying a backup in that version). Today, I'm on this product page because the announcement of the Paperwhite made me think that maybe I should buy another one of the "Kindle 4" devices as a backup.

Then I remembered the other two times I considered stocking up on the "tested and true" versions and decided to write this review instead. Maybe this will end up being my favorite Kindle. But if it doesn't, if the Paperwhite or even one of the Kindle Fires becomes a new favorite, I'll have paid my due respects to a device that has given me a great deal of pleasure.

I recommend this Kindle without reservation.

UPDATE: I've uploaded a video showing the Kindle being used one-handed. It's a little shaky (using the other hand to try to hold the camera), but shows the Kindle being used left-handed to "turn" the pages. From the other reviews I've read this doesn't suit everyone - I guess it's a matter of the size and shape of each person's hands. The video also gives some sense of the page refresh. I've uploaded a couple of still shots in the photo section at the top of the page that provide an idea of the resolution.Read more ›